SALN is a Network made of self-advocates from leading organizations in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island and Northern BC. The majority of SALN members are part of local and provincial self-advocacy and advisory groups. SALN is aware and interested in the BC self-advocate movement.

SALN aims to bring together self-advocate leaders to support and learn from each other, and to work on projects that bring about positive change for people with disabilities and communities. SALN members with their leadership experience are expected to mentor others to help build self-advocate leaders in the disability movement within SALN and their own organizations.

Cathy Daniels is a Paediatric Nurse Practitioner in the Division of Paediatric Medicine – Complex Care Program at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids). She splits her time between this role and as NP Professional Practice Lead for the hospital. Cathy completed her undergraduate nursing degree at the University of Toronto, graduate nursing degree at D’Youville College in Buffalo, and the Post Master’s Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of Toronto. Cathy has worked at Sick Kids for more than 30 years! Cathy started her advanced nursing practice career when she joined the urology team in 2004, carved out a unique and autonomous role and went on to develop an NP led clinic. Then, working with the complex respiratory care team, she specialized in the assessment and management of children requiring respiratory technology such as home mechanical ventilation, children with neuromuscular disease and premature babies requiring home oxygen therapy.

Cathy moved to Complex Care in 2016, where she specializes in the assessment and management of children with medical technology, complexity and fragility. The focus of her work is to support children and their families by helping to coordinate their care, provide anticipatory guidance, facilitate communication between multiple sub-specialists and community providers and supports, and to provide comprehensive, holistic care.

Dorothy Edem, MHA, OT. Reg (NS) is a licensed occupational therapist with over 27 years of experience in the mental health field, encompassing both clinical and leadership roles. In addition, she has a master’s degree in health services administration and has spent the past 20 years in leadership positions.

Currently, Dorothy serves as a Director of Mental Health and Addictions in Central Zone, Nova Scotia Health. Her work involves creating collaborative partnerships across the health, social services, justice, and non-profit sectors to enhance support for individuals living with severe mental illness, developmental disabilities, as well as those involved with the legal system.

A nurse in the field of intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) and autism for over 30 years, Terry was the first nurse in Quebec to obtain professional accreditation in I/DD (Certified Developmental Disabilities Nurse) from the Developmental Disabilities Nurses Association, an association of which she was also president. She currently works as a nurse practitioner consultant & speaker (in Canada and the United States) and previously, was appointed to the Nursing faculty at McGill University.

Throughout her career, Terry has contributed to a number of publications and communications. In her current work at Valor & Solutions in Ottawa & at the Services Québécois d’Expertise en Troubles Graves de Comportement (SQETGC) in Montreal, she offers individual consultations as well as collaborating on various projects aimed at developing expertise, offering training and coaching services. Eager for knowledge, she continually seeks out opportunities for professional development. Terry is grateful for the invitation to moderate the exchanges in the session today & looks forward to being a part of this great conference!

Dr. Christian graduated from Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and received her Doctorate of Optometry from the Illinois College of Optometry. Following graduation, she completed a residency in binocular vision and paediatric optometry at the University of Waterloo, School of Optometry and Vision Science. Dr. Christian is currently an Associate Clinical Professor and Associate Director for Clinical Program at the University of Waterloo, School of Optometry and Vision Science.

Dr. Christian is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, and a Fellow of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD). She is also the co-national faculty liaison for COVD and is an Executive and Council Member for the College of Optometrists of Ontario. Dr. Christian has published numerous articles and given many presentations and lectures both nationally and internationally in the areas of interprofessional education, paediatric eye care and binocular vision.

Dr. Davis completed a Bachelor of Science through Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She then worked at Dalhousie University studying Cystic Fibrosis while obtaining a diploma in Health Services Administration. She went to Medical School in Ottawa and began a Diagnostic Imaging residency through the University of Calgary but later switched into Medical Genetics. Dr. Davis worked at the Royal University Hospital in Saskatchewan until returning to Nova Scotia in 2021. In 2024, she completed a certificate in safety, quality improvement, informatics and leadership through Harvard Medical School. She has a clinical interest in skeletal dysplasia, pediatric genetics and cancer and is currently piloting a prostate cancer mainstreaming project.

Afsaneh is a Parenting Enhancement Program (PEP) Therapist at Surrey Place (Toronto). Afsaneh’s education is in psychology and MSc in Rehabilitation Science with a focus on disability and her research on friendship among adolescents with developmental disabilities has provided her with unique insights into the needs and challenges faced by these individuals. With years of experience in the field, Afsaneh has worked with parents to address their specific needs and ensure that all parents receive the support they need to enhance their parenting skills. She empowers them to actively engage in their children’s developmental journey, fostering a supportive environment at home and ensuring they have the skills and confidence to support their children’s growth.

With a deep passion for supporting parents, Afsaneh is committed to helping parents and their children receive comprehensive care and reach their full potential. She finds joy in seeing the smiles on the faces of the families she supports.

Dr. Laura Pacheco (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Memorial University and an Adjunct Professor at the McGill School of Social Work at McGill University. Laura is on the executive committee of the special interest on Parents and Parenting with an Intellectual Disability at IASSIDD and is the co-covener of the Critical Disability Studies Research Knowledge Exchange at Memorial University. She has lived experience with disability and has over a decade of community, praxis and research experience in the field of parents and parenting with intellectual disabilities. For over a decade, Laura co-ordinated a best-practice and accredited service for parents with intellectual disability in Montreal. Laura’s research interests are around reproductive justice and mothering with a disability, evidence-based and social just approaches to health and social services to parents with intellectual disability with intersecting identities, disability justice and inclusion, structural and intimate partner violence against women with disabilities, aging and neurodiversity, critically reflective practice, and community engagement.

Marjorie Aunos, Ph.D. is a well-known scholar and psychologist in the field of parenting and disability. She became a feminist disability activist through public speaking and alliances of disabled parents and addresses ableism through the initiatives such as events to Amplify the Voices of Parents with disabilities, a Parenting Done Differently Podcast where she interviewed Scholars, parents with disabilities and children of parents with disabilities and a TEDx Talk entitled What we can Learn from Parents with Disabilities that has over 500 000 views. As a Disability Advocate, she speaks to educators and professionals about embracing change, social justice and our need to support our communities to enhance everyone’s resilience. As a psychologist, she applies a solution-focused mindset and concepts from Positive Psychology into the workforce, to enhance team cohesion and psychological safety. Marjorie Aunos has taught at several universities, presents at scientific conferences, and publishes her research in renowned academic journals. She has recently published her book Mom on wheels: The Power of Purpose as a Parent with Paraplegia and regularly shares on her social media accounts about issues around accessibility.

Michelle Goos is a mother and advocate who lives in Victoria with her husband and daughter. She works at Community Living BC (CLBC) as a Strategic Initiative Advisor, where she helps design and test new programs for people that they serve and help.
Michelle has always been an advocate, but she really started focusing her advocacy efforts on issues of disability and parenthood when her daughter was born. Like Michelle, her daughter also has an intellectual disability and was diagnosed in grade 3. She’s now 25 years old and lives on her own in a shared living situation. Also like her mom, she loves a challenge, and is a member of an open-water swim team called the Spirit Orcas that swims in oceans and lakes with no wetsuits, and took on swimming the length of the English Channel in 2020!